Combining depot antipsychotic with an assertive monitoring programme for treating first‐episode schizophrenia in a resource‐constrained setting

Aim To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of depot antipsychotic (flupenthixol decanoate) combined with an assertive monitoring programme ( AMP ) in first‐episode schizophrenia. Methods This was a prospective, non‐comparative, longitudinal study conducted over 12 months assessing patient acceptance, adherence, outcome in domains of psychopathology, functionality and quality of life, and tolerability. Results Of 207 participants, 149 (72%) completed 12 months of treatment. Acceptance of and adherence to depot was good. Treatment response was achieved by 170 (82%) participants and remission by 124 (60%). Thirty‐three (19%) responders relapsed and 10 (5%) participants met a priori criteria for treatment resistance. Treatment was generally well tolerated. Conclusions Combination of depot antipsychotic with an AMP may be an effective and safe intervention in early phases of schizophrenia, and may be particularly suitable for resource‐constrained settings.